This week the Jewish Federation hosted a dinner for families who contribute $25K or more per year to the Jewish Federation of Los Angeles. Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook, was the guest speaker at the dinner and she spoke about her two books:

Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead

Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience and Finding Joy

Steve and Allison were co-chairs at the event and are pictured with Sheryl and some of the other families who donate to the Federation.

If you would like more information about the work Martini Iosue & Akpovi does in the community please contact us at (818) 789 1179

Last November 8th, our firm, Martini Iosue & Akpovi and the law firm of Ervin Cohen & Jessup sponsored an event for the cannabis industry. The goal was to have people in this sphere share their experiences, thoughts, ideas and concerns. We had close to 100 people attend this event. It was exciting to see people from every aspect of the industry represented. There were representatives from the fire department, city of Los Angeles attorney’s office, growers, angel investors, people that sell edibles and supplements, and even researchers to name a few.

This event emphasizes that this industry is growing and the need for support is essential, particularly in the banking space. These businesses need to be given the opportunity to deposit their cash in a secure location.

I found this interesting article about a grower that was affected by the recent Redwood fires. Because of the inability to deposit cash from cannabis sales in banks, she buried the cash 2 feet underground. When she returned to her farm after the fires, she dug up her box and found a lump of gold, silver, cash, dirt and pine needles. Click on the link below to access the article.

Cannabis in California is permitted – subject to regulations – for both medical and recreational use. In recent decades the state has led the country in efforts to legalize cannabis, holding the first (unsuccessful) vote to decriminalize it in 1972 and, becoming the first state to legalize it for medical use in 1996. In the November 2016 election, voters passed an amendment legalizing recreational use of marijuana.

If you have any questions on the tax matters in this industry, please call Tes at (818) 789 1179.

San Fernando Valley Business Journal Presents The 200 Most Influential Leaders In The Valley Area

Originally published by the San Fernando Valley Business Journal October 2017

Steven Martini, 60, is a partner with the accounting firm of Martini Iosue & Akpovi in Encino. He’s also one of the owners and the managing director of ProVisors, a network of senior-level trusted advisors. Martini is a CPA and business advisor with a focus on tax, consulting and management advisory services. He also has experience on the client side; he was president and chief financial officer of a publicly traded company he helped to start.

Why this career?

I had a great accounting professor in college for my first accounting course – he made it interesting.

Best advice?

The senior partner at my firm always told me to listen to the client.

Economy in a year?

Flat. My clients do not seem optimistic

You in high school?

Jock / Hippie

Retirement age?

I will start slowing down in 5 years and will then see how my golf game is.

Please contact Martini Iosue & Akpovi by phone at (818) 789 1179 if you have questions or would like more information about this article.

LA Remains A Leader For Women In Accounting

Originally published in the October 30 issue of the LA Business Journal

Tes Macaraya is a tax partner at Martini Iosue & Akpovi and has over 25 years of experience providing tax planning and compliance services for partnerships, high net worth individuals and corporations primarily in the real estate industry. She serves real estate investors, developers and operators across all asset classes including commercial, industrial and residential. In addition to her experience serving clients in the real estate industry, Macaraya serves clients in the manufacturing sector, professional services firms and not-for-profit organizations.

As Head of the Tax Practice at Martini Iosue & Akpovi, Macaraya helps her business clients with their formation all the way to the sale transaction and anything in between. She consistently provides innovative tax planning and compliance services for businesses and high net worth individuals. Her areas of client specialization include partnership and flow through entities as well as an emphasis on mid-sized businesses and high net worth individuals.

Kevin and Diana had a great time talking to LMU students and sharing their experiences of working in accountancy.

We have places available for our summer 2018 internship program. If you would like more information about our internship program or working at Martini Iosue & Akpovi in general, please contact us by phone at (818) 789-1179.

We were proud to sponsor the Anti Defamation League tournament at El Cab golf course earlier this month. If you would like more information about our work in the community, please contact Martini Iosue & Akpovi, LLP by phone at (818) 789-1179.

We enjoyed talking to CSUN students last night about our internship program at Martini Iosue & Akpovi. We have three places available for our summer 2018 internship program. If you would like more information about our internship program or working at Martini Iosue & Akpovi, please contact us by phone at (818) 789-1179.

We wish all CSUN students all the best with their future studies and careers.

Martini Iosue & Apkovi is proud to be part of the San Fernando Valley Community in Southern California. Over the years we have enjoyed supporting many different causes. In this photo, the team is participating in the LAPD PALS annual toy drive back in 2015.

If you have any questions or would like more information about our work in the community, please contact Martini Iosue & Akpovi, LLP by phone at (818) 789-1179.

One of our partners, Steve Martini, donated a day of golf and lunch to The Nicole Parker Foundation Golf Fundraiser. The event was purchased by some Sheriffs and LAPD officers, and they played 18 holes last week at El Cab golf course. Here they are pictured with Steve (2nd from left) on the golf course.